


In These Broken Spaces

by morganoconner



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-07
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-23 18:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/625421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganoconner/pseuds/morganoconner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek probably isn't looking for comfort, but that's okay. Stiles is going to give it anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In These Broken Spaces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [havemy_heart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/havemy_heart/gifts).



> Originally written for the [](http://tw-holidays.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://tw-holidays.livejournal.com/)**tw-holidays** exchange. Many thanks to Miya for beta-ing!

"Go away, Stiles."

It's not the first time Stiles has heard those words from Derek, nor is it likely to be the last, but it's the tone of voice that gives him pause this time, the way Derek sounds shattered all the way down to his bones. Stiles pauses and takes a second to really look at Derek: the whites of his eyes that have gone red, and the deep shadows underneath; the hair that looks messy and unstyled; the ratty sweatshirt and flannel PJ pants.

In short, Derek is a mess.

"I brought ice cream and movies?" Stiles says quietly, holding up a plastic bag.

Derek glares at him, but doesn't move from where he's curled up in a corner of the couch. "What do you want?" he demands.

Slowly, Stiles toes off his sneakers and pads over to the couch, perching himself on the opposite end from Derek and setting his bag of goodies on the milk carton coffee table. "I, um. I forgot, last year. With the alpha pack still causing trouble and everything." He shrugs. "I guess that's understandable, maybe, but I still felt really crappy when I realized, and I promised myself I wouldn't forget this year."

"Forget what?" Derek growls, more for show than anything, Stiles knows.

"Look," Stiles says, trying to be patient because he _does_ know Derek by now, and this really shouldn't surprise him. "I know we're very different types of people, and you hate anyone daring to think you might actually have a heart buried somewhere, but I know something about tough anniversaries, and I know that they're always better with a friend. So suck it up and deal, because I'm not going anywhere."

Derek blinks at him, probably wondering when they became friends. If he asked, Stiles would cheerfully tell him it was obviously when neither of them was paying attention, because it's true.

"So," Stiles continues doggedly. "I've got chocolate and vanilla for ice cream, because who doesn't appreciate the classics? And movies range from horror to action to comedy because I wasn't sure which kind would be mindless enough for a day like today."

"I…" Derek frowns, staring at the bag. Stiles helpfully pushes it towards him, hiding his triumphant smile when Derek finally begins pawing through the DVDs. It takes several long moments before he pulls one out, eyebrows furrowed. "The Princess Bride? What category does that fall into?"

"Comedy and action," Stiles tells him resolutely. "It's a _classic_ , dude, we are _appreciating_ the classics today. Don't take this away from me!" When Derek eyes him with an expression of profound skepticism, Stiles sighs, slumping. "It was my mom's favorite. It's what I watch every year, so I thought… 'S stupid, just put it back already."

Derek doesn't, instead placing it on the makeshift table along with two others. He also pulls out both cartons of ice cream and the spoons before he says, quietly, "Laura liked it too." He passes the chocolate to Stiles before Stiles can form a reply.

They're quiet for a few minutes, both of them fiddling with their ice cream and not looking at each other until Stiles finally jumps up and grabs the movie to bring over to the cheap second-hand television and DVD player setup.

At least Derek isn't trying to shove him back out the door anymore, he reminds himself as he takes a lot longer than necessary to get everything started. In fact, there's a little bit of _gratitude_ in that dour expression, if Stiles knows Derek at all, and after two years of life-saving and personal-space-invasion and flat-out pretending they don't like each other, he thinks he can safely say he does.

When he makes his way back over to the couch, Stiles settles himself closer to the middle this time, picking up his ice cream and pointedly not looking anywhere in Derek's direction as the movie starts.

"We should trade," Derek says, after about half an hour and a third of a carton, neither of which Stiles has been paying the least bit of attention to.

Stiles glances over, blinking in surprise when the vanilla ice cream is shoved practically into his nose. He grins and takes it, passing the chocolate to Derek. "Why the change of heart?" he asks, taking a giant spoonful and shoving it into his mouth.

Derek shrugs, scooping up a little bit of ice cream and then letting it plop back into the container as he glares moodily at it. "Vanilla was Laura's favorite, not mine." His mouth twists as he glances up at Stiles. "She'd hate me eating it out of some sense of…whatever. She'd probably smack me over the head with a newspaper and shove my face in a bowl of rocky road or something."

 _Rocky road_ , Stiles thinks. _Check_. It's always good to make note of Derek's favorite things when the opportunity actually presents itself. It happens so rarely. "I wish I could've met her," he says, then immediately wishes he could take it back because if anything is going to set Derek off –

But Derek's smiling, this sad little thing that trembles on his face as he glances up again and says, "Me too."

And that…well…how is Stiles supposed to resist _that?_ He's not strong enough for this, clearly, because he's already inching closer, bouncing a little as he makes his way along the couch cushion towards Derek. Derek, who's watching him with a raised eyebrow and a scowl that borders on a smirk, who looks like he wants to hide in his container of ice cream, but who doesn't snarl or growl or curse as Stiles gets closer. "Hi," Stiles says when he's pressed up right against Derek's side.

"Stiles," Derek replies, and it could almost be a greeting of his own.

Now that he's here, Stiles has no idea what to say or do. So he decides to wing it. "Enjoying the movie?"

Derek glances at the television, where Buttercup is tumbling down a hill after her lost-and-found love. He sighs, a little sad-sounding. "I miss her," he says.

Stiles swallows. He places his ice cream on the coffee table, then reaches over to do the same to Derek's. He moves slowly – because Derek running away would suck after all this – and wraps his arms around Derek, drawing him into a hug that might be one of the best hugs he's ever given to date. Strong and warm and, if he says so himself, tingle-inducing all the way down to his toes. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I know it's not enough and it doesn't fix anything, but I'm sorry."

It takes a long time, but the tension slowly drains out of Derek, his body going loose and pliant as he allows the hug to go on for a long time and even eventually grabs hold of Stiles in return. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't really need to. Stiles gets it.

Some indeterminate amount of time later, Derek pulls away, but Stiles doesn't go back to his original spot, and Derek doesn't ask him to. Instead, they turn back to the TV and eat their ice cream in silence while watching the movie.

And if Derek starts to drift off, if his head maybe drifts down to rest on Stiles' shoulder and his hand creeps over and his fingers tangle with Stiles', well, Stiles certainly isn't going to say anything, not this time. He's just going to stay right here and be whatever Derek needs him to be.


End file.
